Two new Metro stations could be built under proposals put forward to cope with thousands more homes being built.

Under North Tyneside Council’s Local Plan, two sites are being earmarked for housing - Murton Gap and Killingworth Moor.

If the document is adopted, around 5,000 new houses could be built in these areas - 3,000 at Murton and 2,000 at the Killingworth site.

A public inquiry is underway into the Local Plan, which has attracted scores of objections from people worried about the scale of development proposed and the potential impact on traffic and public facilities.

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Now it has been revealed that developers are hoping to build two Metro stations to help commuters - one would be located between West Monkseaton and Shiremoor, and the other between Northumberland Park and Palmersville.

Alongside this, there are proposals to make improvements to bus services and the highway network, including building a new link road between the A186 and the A191 which could go through Green Belt land.

Land that could be set aside for housing development in North Tyneside, Murton Gap

The cost of the proposed Metro stations is to be borne by developers, however opportunities for public funding are also to be explored. Discussions are underway with Nexus on all matters. These details were given at the public inquiry, being held at the council’s Quadrant offices, where campaigners, such as the Murton and Monkseaton action groups, have raised a number of concerns about the Local Plan.

A Nexus spokesman said they were approached by the council to discuss the idea.

The spokesman added: "Any new station in North Tyneside would need to be funded externally, for example through a developer contribution as was the case at Northumberland Park.

"More detailed studies would be needed to establish there would be enough demand and to test impact of an additional stop on current Metro operations.”

As well as worries over traffic congestion and over-development, they fear the community will lose green fields and open space which are well used for walking and cycling by people of all ages.

Questions were also raised about the viability of setting up new Metro stations and whether they would help to improve congestion.

The Murton Consortium, a group of landowners and developers who are working together for the site, told the hearing they were committed to building a new station for Murton Gap and were aiming to deliver it by 2022. They said the station would not only serve new residents moving to the area but also encourage other commuters to leave their cars and travel by public transport.

However, if the scheme wasn’t viable, there would be options to improve bus services and highways on their own.

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Matthew Stevens, founding director of Milestone Transport Planning, which is part of the consortium, said: “The consortium is 100% committed to the Metro option. I must reiterate that the Metro is the consortium’s preferred option.

“The full cost of the implementation of the Metro station can be met by the consortium.

“We are looking at the 2022 time period at the latest for its delivery. Looking at public funding options, it could be brought forward to 2018. But those conversations are ongoing.